HPD changes policy, adds violent offenses to crime maps

This crime map of Kuhio Avenue shows recent crimes reported in Waikiki. A fist marks the site of an assault.

You can now look for violent crime information on the Honolulu Police Department’s website.

Responding to overwhelming community feedback, police officials said today that its crime mapping website now includes all 15 crime categories tracked by its vendor, including violent crimes.

Police said the map does not include domestic violence incidents because of privacy concerns.

For the past six years, HPD only included non-violent crimes until the Honolulu Star-Advertiser disclosed that the department was the only one among more than 150 checked by the newspaper nationally that excluded violent crimes.

In the wake of the Star-Advertiser stories, HPD sought feedback from neighborhood boards and others, and the overwhelming response was that people wanted more crimes included on the map, according to HPD officials.

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Comments (28)

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Ha! I was about to say “Well Duh!” but you beat me to it. I have some history with HPD and with NCIC information and agree that there was no rational reason to withhold this information from the public. It wasn’t an inability to include it, it was a conscious intention to withhold the information.

Just like your failed candidate of choice, HitLIARy, you’ve just admitted that after 30 years of service in HI government, you’ve been sucking on teat of the hard working middle class while doing absolutely nothing during the 30 years of service to benefit the taxpayers. Far all we know, maybe you were part of the problem. haaaaa

Why does it take several news articles and public outcry to make our government people take action? In this case, HPD knew they were doing things wrong and yet they tried to make ridiculous excuses to avoid doing it the right way. Several of the HPD people who don’t want to do the job right should be fired.

I thought a little more carefully about this issue and realized that HPD should perhaps institute a multi-track system for advancement. It might be a Patrol track (up to Sgt) and an Administrative track that would require education beyond high school. This might also include the opportunity to advance to the Administrative track with the attainment of post-secondary education. (actually, this has often been the case but has never been formalized.) It might open up career pathways based upon merit alone. Particularly in the areas of IT and Forensics, education and training ought to matter more than simple rank in command positions.

Problem with HPD’s promotion system is that it’s “rigged”. Ask those who were on the Sgt’s promotion list when Chief Donahue’s son was on that list. Funny how the line was drawn just under his name, meaning that only those above that line were able to proceed to the interview. Then low and behold, the son was advanced 100 numbers at that interview and he was soon promoted. If you pass the test, then all should be interviewed. And the interview board should by all rights be made up of community leaders, CEO’s, Professors, Bank Presidents, etc with one HPD Major to provide guidance to those board members on the responsibility and duties of the rank in which they are interviewing the officers for. As it is now, the board is made up of fellow officers which in many cases the officers being interviewed have worked with, are personal friends with or even went through the same academy class together.

The part about HPD seeking feedback from various neighborhood boards shibai was just that……a feeble attempt to deflect the real issue. The coverup of serious crime statistics in Honolulu County to sugar coat the narrative.

Of course, the Judicial system has just as much culpability by its revolving door policy that lets repeat offenders and felons back out on the street.

Then there’s the legislative branch that writes the laws into place that stymies judges from meeting out effective sentences that keeps criminals out of our communities.

Plenty of blame to go around but what do you expect from an ultra liberal state like Hawaii?

It is not the laws which are preventing Judges from handing out stiff punishments. I have worked in the system and I can tell you that the problem is our Judges, ,many if not most are
liberal, bleeding hearts who have to be dragged kicking and screaming into imposing punishments. Do not know if you have noticed that these Judges are always given cover
by our media and news medias such as SA. Have you not noticed that it is very rare that they ever identify the Judges when criminal cases are covered in the news.
Many also do not know that Honolulu is unofficially a sanctuary city and the Courts here go out of their way not to inquire into the immigration status ( citizen, illegal or resident alien) of
people who are arrested and subsequently convicted of crimes. It is very blatant and if you ever go to see any Court proceedings, you will see Judges tell the defendants that they will
not ask about their immigration status but warn them that by pleading guilty or being convicted of a crime, especially a felony, that if they are illegal or a resident alien that they could
be subject to deportation by the Feds. At no part of the proceedings does the Court or the Judiciary make any attempt to notify the US Immigration service (ICE) even when they
know or suspect that the person is illegal or a resident alien and not a citizen. This practice has been going on for over 20 years and as far as I know continues to this day.
There is no better place for a scumbag, citizen or non-citizen to commit a crime, than Hawaii. It is very hard to end up being sentenced to prison here. You have to really try very
hard. The other half of that is that if you do end up going to jail/prison, the conditions are bad and places like OCCC and Halawa are tough places to do time.
You are way better off doing your time on the mainland and or in a Federal facility.

OK lets see what the map and stats look like now? Why did they omit domestic violence out from the map as needing privacy but all other crimes under the sun don’t? What do other progressive cities show?